


Little Blue Bird of Happiness

by Eydol



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Fantasy, Gen, Not but it's really angsty, aaaaaangst, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-16 21:08:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11261031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eydol/pseuds/Eydol
Summary: “Don’t go too far, Tsumugi, or you’ll be eaten by something bigger than you and I won’t be able to help you.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First, I'M SO SORRY I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M WRITING SOMETHING LIKE THAT I BROKE MY OWN HEART OKAY?  
> Also, I had no need to applicate Natsume's speak pattern so I didn't do it. Don't be surprised.
> 
> This a 2 chapters fic, the second will arrive soon. Maybe. If you didn't kill me before.

“Ahah, yes, you’re right. I shouldn’t stay here.”

            As if it wanted to agree with what he had just said, the wind played with the trees’ leaves.

“Hmhm. We’re going back to town. It should be near here.”

            The bird near him chirped and he smiled, before standing up, helped by his staff. The wind blew once again, making swing his coat behind him. Only his red and white bang got messed by it, thanks to his hood. This coat was really practical, and he loved it, but not as much as the bird that flew near him.

The said bird chirped once again, fleeing around him. It was little blue bird, so little that he could enter in one of his pocket.

“Hm? Oh, it’s going to rain soon? I see. Thank you for the warning. We should go, then.”

            Once again, the bird chirped and flew away from him. He frowned. He disliked when it flew away like that, to the point he couldn’t see him anymore, sometimes.

“Don’t go too far, Tsumugi, or you’ll be eaten by something bigger than you and I won’t be able to help you.”

            He got no answer, and sighed.

“That guy is annoying, sometimes. He has always been.” He sighed.

            Even now, he could hear the reproach in the chirps, with a soft “Natsume”, sometimes sad, sometime jaded, rarely truly angry. It always made him laugh, because it reminded him of when they were young, and when it was Natsume himself who was acting like that.

“Our roles are opposites now, Tsumugi.”

            He smiled, not a true one, but a sad one, and then, started to follow back the road to the town. As he was walking slowly but surely, helped by long staff, the wind started growing stronger. And Tsumugi wasn’t back yet.

“Stupid senior…” Natsume muttered.

            It was always like that. Tsumugi disappeared every time there was a bad weather, or there was going to have a big danger. And of course, he came back after it, or during it. The last time, he had to help him going down from a tree because Tsumugi had a broken wing.

“Stupid animal.” He muttered once again.

            And the rain started pouring. His coat protected him, but he was more worried for the bird than for himself. The said bird finally came back, wet, chirping happily, before sitting on his shoulder, taking a rest.

“You’re annoying, you know? Because of you, I’ll get wet.” The bird gave him a little on his neck, chirping happily once again. “Don’t even try to tame me. It won’t work this time.”

            Natsume knew it would once again, as every time it happened. But he couldn’t help but let him do whatever he wanted. After all, it was his fault, to begin with…

            They arrived in town a good thirty minutes after, coat wet, and when Natsume finally entered his room in the inn, it was a relief. The bird left his shoulder and went on the bed.

“You’re tired, when I should be the one. You’re heavy, blue bird.”

            The bird chirped angrily.

“I know, I know. You’re light actually, but it is always fun to see your reaction.”

            For an instant, Natsume saw Tsumugi pout, but then came back in reality. It was impossible for him to see that. He would never see Tsumugi pout ever again. _Just because of a mistake…_

            He sat in front of the fireplace that had been turned on by the innkeeper, and looked blankly at the fire, the memories of that day coming back in his mind. Sometimes, he just hoped to wake up without memories at all, but when the thought crossed his mind, he felt so regretful to wish for something like that, that he always slapped himself. He hadn’t have the right to forget that. For Tsumugi, he should remember, and too bad if it hurt him every time. It was a reminder not to play with the fire…

“I’m sorry, Tsumugi…”

            It was probably the hundreth times he apologized, and he hoped that his friend would accept them every time, even if he would have good reasons not to. _But he’s here with me, now, so, he probably accepted it._

He continued to stare blankly at the fire place, until he fell asleep because of the flames’ dance…

 

 

_“Natsume, I’m not sure it’s a good idea, you know…?”_

_“Tsumugi, you’re such a coward!”_

_“I’m not a coward! It’s just… This is dangerous. You can do something like that without having being trained… Even Mom wouldn’t try that.”_

_“That’s because your mom isn’t powerful enough. On the contrary, I am a powerful sorcerer!”_

_Tsumugi pouted. He was 17 years old, a year older than Natsume, and really carefull. When he was a child, he hadn’t been like that, but people changed, Natsume knew it, and Tsumugi wasn’t an exception. Fortunately, he hadn’t changed that much, and they still were friends even if they could barely see each other because of Natsume’s studies._

_“Besides, after that, I’ll cook you bombs!”_

_“Bombs!? Okay, I come!”_

_Natsume laughed. It was always so easy to have Tsumugi on his side…! He just needed bombs (cookies, actually, but he called them bombs since his childhood) and Tsumugi’s eyes were filled with stars. He loved it when he was like that, a blush on his cheeks, hi eyes filled with stars, a big smile on his lips, repeating “bombs” every now and then. Well, he loved him. They even promised each other to get married (but when they talked about it to their parents, they seemed scandalized, strangely enough)._

_Natsume continued his run, followed by a Tsumugi already dreaming about the cookies, and soon enough, they arrived in a big plains. They stopped and Tsumugi whispered:_

_“Are you sure it would be alright?”_

_“Of course it will! It’s not a little spirit that will scare me!”_

_“It’s not_ just _a little spirit, Natsume. It’s the Original Wind Spirit we’re talking about.”_

_“Well, it will be a piece of cake no matter which spirit it is. You’ll see, one day, I’ll get all of them.”_

_“Hm… If you say so…”_

_Natsume shrugged and told him to be prepared. He heard Tsumugi sigh, but the blue-haired young man helped him nevertheless. They traced a little circle in front of a big one, wrote symbols to put in place a barrier in case things went wrong - fortunately they wouldn’t need it - and once ready, Natsume entered the little circle, while Tsumugi stepped away, staying behind the red-haired young man._

_Excitation went through Natsume’s whole body as he started to sing the invocation. A big tempest started, blinding them with the soil, and a big and green dragon appeared, threatening._

_“Who dared awakening me?” He said in a big and low voice._

_His eyes stared at the two young men, and suddenly, something seemed really weird around them. The air seemed more difficult to get, and something terrible reached Natsume’s ears. Something he hadn’t forecast._

_“Natsume! The barrier had been broken…!”_

_No, it was impossible. Everything had been perfect, he even verified the symbols thrice! As if he had read in his mind, the Original Wind Spirit laughed and said:_

_“You thought that a little guy like you could keep me locked in a weak barrier. How dare you suppose that I’m a weak bird?”_

_The dragon seemed angry, and smoke left his nostrils. Natsume didn’t dare to move. He was already thinking about the contrary of the invocation song, to make disappear the spirit. He was so focused on his thing that when he heard “ Watch out!” coming from Tsumugi, he startled. He looked at the dragon, and so its terrible fangs ready to crush him._

_And then, everything went so fast that he barely remembered it. All he knew was that Tsumugi was in front of him, smiling and crying at the same time, a fang crossing his chest._

_“Tsumu...gi…?”_

_“I… I did my best to...cancel the invocation, but…I don’t know...”_

_The fang left his chest, and Tsumugi fell between Natsume’s hands, his blood tainted his clothes. His eyes closed, a smile still on his lips._

_“Don’t! You don’t have the right!”_

_He punched him, tried to wake him up, called his name, kissed him, but Tsumugi never reacted. He would never be happy about bombs, or tell him cute and lovely words before going back home. Never again. Because Natsume killed him._

_Tears poured on his cheeks, and his eyes stared at his friend, not noticing the sudden disappearance of the Original Spirit, nor the screams coming from his village, or Tsumugi’s mother’s voice. He only noticed his sin, right between his arms._

_“Tsumugiiiiii!”_

 

 

Natsume woke up, tears pouring on cheeks, the fire still there, warming his sleeping body.

“Crap.”

            He let himself fall in the ground. He would never forget that day. He couldn’t, anyway, it was carved in his mind until the end of his life. After that tragic event, he had been banished from his village, from his school, from everywhere. He knew it was normal, and he should be really grateful not to be in jail for what he had down. He had killed someone, after all…

            During his wandering, he had found a little bird laying on the ground, chirping as if its life had been in danger. And it actually was, Natsume had noticed as the blood left this little body of it. The blue of the bird reminded him of Tsumugi’s hair color, and the mere fact to see the bird dying between his hands. _“I don’t want to lose you once again…!”_ He had healed the bird, and took care of it until it was fully healed.

            And the bird stayed with him even after that. And its character was so like Tsumugi’s that Natsume thought it really was him, and he had cried for days after that, apologizing to the bird, promising him to protect him no matter what.

            The tears on his cheeks stopped and Natsume stared blankly at the fire in front of him. Tsumugi saved him twice, and he was grateful for that. The bird chirped and came near Natsume, nestling up to Natsume’s chest before falling asleep. Natsume smiled, and closed his eyes. He didn’t need a bed to feel well. He just needed the little blue bird.

“Thank you, Tsumugi.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

           The road towards the next town was long and so, Natsume made a lot of preparations before leaving the inn days later. Tsumugi fleeing happily by his sides, Natsume walked forwards the future, staff in hands, ready to earn money as he always did. He only did little things, like using an easy spell to help a person, and it was enough for everyone. The people were generally happy because they didn’t have to pay a great sorcerer just for a little thing, and Natsume was happy because he earned money easily with the few spells he knew. Everyone was fine with that.

            When it was about to be night, he made a camp as much as he could, and after a good dinner, he fell asleep, letting Tsumugi keep the watch. He woke up at the same time the sun rose, and he continued his way towards the next town with a good rhythm.

“With a lot of luck, we’ll have a lot of works, Tsumugi.” Natsume said to the bird. “Don’t ruin like the last time, okay?”

            The bird chirped angrily before going away. Natsume laughed. The last time, the bird annoyed him and he missed his spell and it transformed the statue into a pig instead of repairing it. We could imagine the person would have been happy - it was a free pig! - but they weren’t, and they cursed him. He wasn’t the first one, and wouldn’t be the last.

            They arrived in the next town the day after, helped by a farmer who was going to town fortunately for them. The first thing Natsume did was to pay for a room at the inn, and the second thing was to start searching for customers. He came to this town already and even was known by the people, so it wasn’t too hard to find something to do. Until the end of the day, he had to repair many objects, or clean some house quickly. Sometimes, people just wanted to be quiet for a whole day, not having to think about common things to do. That’s why Natsume didn’t mind doing that. Besides, it earned him money.

            When he came back to the inn in the evening, he was tired but happy, and he ate not one but two dishes. Tsumugi, sat on his shoulder, seemed to sleep peacefully, but he woke up instantly when one of the waitress put a little bowl with seeds inside.

“For your cute friend.” She said before leaving.

            The said cute friend chirped happily and ate as if his life was in danger.

“If you were so hungry, you could have search for food outside.” The bird chirped. “Sure, seeds coming from a beautiful woman is better. I am jealous, now.” Natsume continued, taking a sip of tea.

            The place was peaceful, now, as the night was fully installed. Natsume listened to some of the conversations but nothing was interesting for him. They were talking about quests only a strong sorcerer could do. _If I hadn’t failed, Tsumugi wouldn’t be dead, and I would be able to travel the world and have fun in the quest… Maybe Tsumugi would have been a great invoker… The sorcerer and the invoker…_ He shrugged and finished his tea. It wasn’t the moment to think about the past and a potential future.

            When his plate was over, Natsume stood up, Tsumugi going back on his shoulder, ready to go in his room, but the innkeeper approached him, seeming worried.

“Mister Natsume, can I talk with you?”

“Hm? Sure? Do you need something to be repaired?”

“Not really. Could you follow me? I rather not talk about that in front of everyone.”

            Natsume tilted his head and nodded, following the man inside the kitchen. The chef looked at them suspiciously before noticing Natsume’s staff and bowing with respect. Natsume never asked for that, but it felt good to feel like that once a while.

“What’s the matter?”

“There are rats in town…”

“You want me to make them disappear?”

“Yes, but…” The innkeeper frowned before continuing: “Do you remember my daughter?”

“Anzu? Yes.”

“She had been bitten by a rat. And since then… She’s acting strangely.”

“What do you mean?”

“She is… mean with everyone. Now, she forbids the dog and the cats to enter the house and hurts them when she notices them inside. And I don’t talk about the children to whom she’s teaching at school. Apparently, she’s a true… demon.”

            Natsume blinked and Tsumugi chirped. Anzu, the innkeeper’s daughter, was the gentler young woman Natsume knew. Or at least, had been, if he believed her father’s story. _She became like that because of a rat’s bite… Is it possible…? Wait, if it’s the case, I’m not strong enough for that…!_

“Do you think you can find the reason? Or at least, taking care of the rats? I’ll pay you a good amount of money, don’t worry.”

 _The money isn’t the problem,_ Natsume thought. _The problems are the rats. If it is what I think, then… I’m not sure I can do something._ Yet, he couldn’t let Anzu in this state. Dear and cute Anzu wasn’t a bad woman, to begin with, and it would be unfair to abandon her when she had been his first customer, the one who started everything for him (even if it only had been watering her flower gardens, work was work after all).

“I’ll do my best.” He finally accepted. “I need all informations you have about these rats, though.”

“Thank you very much!”

 

 

            Tsumugi was chirping softly at his sides, and Natsume had to tell him not to make a noise, as they were entering a dark cave on a hill near the town, where the rats were presumed to live. With a spell, he made light around him, to be sure not to miss a step, or to kick a rock. Around them, there wasn’t noise, and it didn’t seem to have living beings. It was strange, or maybe not, Natsume didn’t really know. He felt Tsumugi against his neck, silent, and it comforted him a little bit. _I shouldn’t have accepted. I’m not good for that. Last time I tried something like that, I almost made explode the town._ And the time before, someone died (even if it was only because of his self-confidence and stupidity).

             The more they walked deeper in the cave, the more the red-haired young man had goose bumps. A black aura surrounded him, and a little chirp from Tsumugi told him the little blue bird felt it too.  

“We should maybe leave, Tsumugi.” Natsume whispered. “If we can…” He added when he noticed the rats around them.

            He bit his lips and increase the light of his staff. They were now at the end of the cave. It was big enough for Natsume to stand, but it wasn’t the most important things. First, the rats were acting strangely, surrounding him. He used a barrier spell just in case they tried to bite him. And secondly, the strange black thing in front of them, with red eyes. A daemon. He was sure, now: the dark sorcerer, Eichi, was behind the scene, and Natsume wasn’t up to fighting him.

            He heard the daemon laugh and then, he attacked him. Natsume tried to run away, but fell. When he turned back towards the daemon, ready to protect himself from the attack, he saw a scene that destroyed his heart. His eyes opened wide while Tsumugi took the daemon’s attack at his place, and fell on the ground after that. Images of Tsumugi, a fang on his chest, a smile on his lips, came back in his mind. _No… Not again…_

            He hurried up to reach the blue bird, and took him in his hands, tears already pouring on his cheeks.

“No, no, no…! Why? Why is it always like that? Why can’t I… Why can’t I…”

“Because you’re so weak… But Master Eichi can teach you… He can teach you a lot of things, and can bring back your dead friend.”

            The demon’s voice was like a whistling, a terrible one at this, and really tempting. Bringing back his friend… Did it mean he would be able to see Tsumugi’s smile once again? And hear Tsumugi’s chirp once again?

“I… I want…”

“ _Natsume, don’t!_ ”

            Natsume’s heart missed a beat when he heard the voice that called his name. It was a soft voice, one he knew really well, one from his past that still haunted him at night.

“Tsumugi…?”

            He raised his eyes, looking at the blue bird between his hands: a strange white light was surrounding the dead animal, and it grew stronger, blinding the young man sat on his knees. He closed his eyes, hurt, and felt something really soft and warm around him, like arms.

“ _It’s alright, Natsume, don’t worry._ ”

            Tsumugi’s voice, again. Natsume slowly raised his head, opening his eyes, and met Tsumugi’s smiling face.

“Tsumu…”

“ _It’s alright, I’ll protect you. I’ll always protect you._ ”

“Stop that. Don’t. Or you’ll die once again.”

“D _on’t worry for me, for I am the Spirit of Protection and Hope._ ”

“You’re… what?”

            Tsumugi’s smile grew bigger.

“ _It’s thanks to you. Don’t worry. If I’m with you, nothing can hurt you._ ”

            Barely had he said that that the light surrounding him became brighter and, Natsume’s friend became a tall blue bird of light.

“ _As long as I’m with you, it won’t be able to touch you. Use your will to destroy it._ ”

            Natsume didn’t understand a thing, and was lost, but nodded nevertheless and pointed his staff towards the daemon. The said daemon was blind because of the light and Natsume used all the spells he knew against it. It was strange, because he knew that he wasn’t strong enough, but deep inside his heart, he was hoping for it to work. _Spirit of Protection and Hope… Idiot._

            A smile appeared on his lips while the spells were destroying the daemon…

 

 

            The day was rising when they left the cave and stood at the of the hill, watching the town waking from there. Natsume didn’t dare releasing Tsumugi’s hand, to afraid of seeing him disappear once again. It didn’t seem to bother the Spirit - the Spirit! Natsume still couldn’t believe it - as they were walking together out of the cave, silently.

“How did you become a Spirit?”

“ _It’s a secret._ ”

            Natsume pouted and muttered something like “I’ll discover it one day” that made laugh his friend. They looked at the scenery around them, at the tall trees, and at the orange sky, where birds were flying without noticing the people watching them from the Earth.

“I… want to become stronger.” Natsume finally said. “We can’t let this man changing people’s nature like he did with Anzu!”

            Anzu should be right now that the daemon having bitten her was destroyed, and it reminded him he should go see how she felt. And ask for the money he earned.

“T _here’s a sorcerer, on the other side of the sea_ ,” Tsumugi whispered softly, “ _who accept everyone as apprentice as long as they are worth of it. I’m pretty sure he’ll accept it._ ”

“What’s his name?”

“ _Hibiki Wataru._ ”

            Natsume’s eyes opened wide. Hibiki Wataru, the great sorcerer? Tsumugi had strange ideas but… If it could help him then, he wouldn’t hesitate.

“Would you come with me?”

“O _f course. I have never left your sides, why would I, now?_ ”

            Natsume opened his mouth and no sound came from it. Tsumugi chuckled and the light around grew brighter before he became once again the little blue bird that followed him since their meeting.

            He sat on his shoulder, resting in the hollow of Natsume’s neck, and the red-haired young man sighed.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to travel on my shoulder.” The bird chirped. “You’re not the Spirit of Protection and Hope, but the Spirit of Laziness.”

            Tsumugi chirped again, and Natsume couldn’t help but smile, while walking towards the town, ready for new adventures.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, it's over! I really hope you liked this story like I loved to write it~ ♥  
> Maybe - and I said "maybe" - I'll write their next adventures, who knows? Or maybe not~
> 
> But for now, I'll just let you imagine their life after that ♥


End file.
